Improvement in illuminated signs



A. L. BRUMFIELD.

. v ILLUMINA'IEID sums. No.17'8,506. [Patented June 13; 1876.--

1 N-PEIERS, PHOTO-LITNOGHAPNER. WASHINGTONv D C.

ALONZO L. BRUMFIELD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT lN ILLUMINATED SIGN.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 178,506, dated June 13,1876; application filed December 23, 1875.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, ALONZO L. BRUMFIELD, of Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use-.

ful Improvements in Illuminated Signs, of which improvements thefollowing is a full. clear, and exact description, which will enableothers skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to make anduse the said improvements, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawing, forming a part hereof, and in which Figure 1 represents anisometrical view of a sign embodying my invention, showing the meansemployed to connect the several letters each to the other. Fig. 2represents a front elevation of two of the letters, showing a modifiedmeans of connecting them. Fig. 3 represents a sectional elevation of oneof the letters enlarged; and Fig. 4 represents anenlarged centralsection of the coupling.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts. My invention relates moreparticularly to the class known as hanging signs 5 and the object of myinvention is to provide an illuminated sign, consisting of a series ofhollowletters or figures, having one or both faces made of transparentor translucent materials, and so arranged that the chamber of eachletter or figure communicates with the other, so that when the gas isignited at one point the explosion thereby produced will cause the flameto ignite the gas in thenext adjacent letter throughout the sign, orseries of letters or figures, simultaneously also, to provide a means ofconnecting the pipe communicating with the gas-jet within the letters,so that the letters or figures may be turned to any desired angle, oneto the other, without so afiecting the joint connecting the pipe betweenthe letters as to cause them to leak, thereby enabling the sign, whensuspended in a-position which will not admit of one letter communicatingwith the other, to be folded to a position which will allow of lightingthe gas in the several letters from one point. To that end my inventionconstituting the sign proper, and B the supplypipe, which is permanentlyattached to the upper end of each letter, as shown in Fig. 1. O U aredepending pipes, permanently attached to pipe B, and bent in propershape to pass centrally through each letter, as shown in Fig.

3. D is the rope, from which the sign is suspended by means of suitablerings 0 cattached to the supply B. This rope extends across the streetin the usual manner, and the arrangement of the rings is such as toallow the sign to be moved toward or from the center of the street bymeans of the adjusting-cords E E. F is a flexible pipe, made of rubberor other suitable flexible material. One end of this flexible pipe isattached to the gassupply pipe within the building, and the other end tosupply-pipe B of the sign, and its length is such as to allow the signto be moved to a point immediatelyover the center of the street, ifdesired: The object of making the pipe F of flexible material is toallow of the sign being drawn to the building, when necessary to lightthe gas, Without disturbing the connections of the pipe. That portion ofthe pipe 0 within each letter is perforatechto allow the gas to escapeinto the chamber of the letter. The side walls a of the letters are madeof any suitable sheet metal of the proper thickness to insure therequired strength, and are bent in proper shape to describe the outlinesof the letter. G represents the face of the letter, which is made ofperforated sheet metal,

cut in the form of the letter, and permanently attached to the edges ofthe walls a in any suitable manner, and covered with any transparent ortranslucent material, so arranged as to allow air to pass through theperforations in the face of the letter. Permanently attached to thewalls, and between each letter,

is a tube, f. The arrangement of these tubes is such as to firmlyconnect the letters together, and to communicate with the interiorthereof, so as to thereby form an unobstructed passage, f, from thechamber of one letter to 4 the chamber of the next adjacentletterthrough the entire series, the object being to allow the gas escapingfrom the pipes, and before being ignited, to pass from one letter to theother, so as to allow the flame, when the gas is ignited at one point,to pass from one letter to the other through the series.

The object of perforating the face of the letter is to furnish thenecessary openings for the egress of the light, and for the admission ofthe air necessary to feed the flame.

If desired, the face of the letter may be covered with glass or othersuitable transparent material, permanently attached to the walls cot theletter, and the walls perforated to admit the necessary supply of air.

To light the gas in the-several letters or figures of the sign, it isonly necessary to draw the sign to the building by means of the adjusting-cords,so as to enable the person-1i ghting them to reach the bottom ofthe letter nearest the building, or point where he is standing. When thegas is admitted into the chamber of the several letters through thepipes, and when partially filled with gas, it is ignited through theopening 9, when theexplosion produced thereby forces the flamethroughtubes f, and igniting the gas in the several letterssimultaneously.

It is sometimes found necessary to arrange the sign in a position whichwill not admit of connecting the several letters together by the tubesf, so as to allow the gas to pass from letter to letter, in which caseit becomes necessary to'light the gas in each letter separately. Toaccomplish this I connect the supply-pipe B to a coupling,H,locatedbetween the letters, as shown in Fig. 2. This coupling consists of ashort piece of pipe, h, made tight at its ends, and provided withvertical upright-s J J, into which the ends of the supply-pipe aretightly fitted, as shown in Fig.4. These uprights are each provided witha cavity, t, communicating with the cavity of the supply-pipe and pipeh, by which means the gas is allowed to pass from one section of thesupply-pipe to the other, through the uprights on pipe h. The centralportion of pipe h is provided with a stopcock, K, arranged to admit ofbeing opened 'or closed at will, and of stopping the flow of gas intothe letters, when desired. 1

The arrangement of the parts constituting the coupling is such as tobring each letter in the same horizontal plane, and to allow the lettersto be turned to any desired angle, one to the other, without looseningthe joints or preventing the flow of gas, and so as to allow the foldingof the letters, and bring each of them in a proper position to ignitethe gas therein from one point.

Having thus described the nature and object of myinvention, what I claimas new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an illuminated sign, the hollow letters A, havingoue or both facescovered with transparent or translucent materials, and connected one tothe other by the tubes f, whereby the chambers of the several letterscommunicate with each other, as and for the purpose specified.

v 2. In an illuminated sign, the combination of the hollow letters A,connected one to the other by the tubesf, supply-pipes B (J, and flexi-

